Home > Recipes > Beef mince recipes > Healthier cheeseburger

Healthier cheeseburger

Published: 30 Jun 14
Updated: 18 Mar 24

It’s big, meaty and cheesy, and takes two hands to get to grips with, but our steam-fried burger recipe is a lot lower in fat than your standard burger-van offering.

Easy
July 2014

Test kitchen approved

Serves 2
Hands-on time 30 min

It’s big, meaty and cheesy, and takes two hands to get to grips with, but our steam-fried burger recipe is a lot lower in fat than your standard burger-van offering.

Traditional version: 940kcals, 58.7g fat (20.4g saturated), 48.8g protein, 54.7g carbs (4.5g sugars), 2.3g salt 3.3g fibre

delicious. makeover: 481kcals, 23.2g fat (7.9g saturated), 35.1g protein, 33.4g carbs (5.2g sugars), 1.4g salt 7.7g fibre

Save recipe

Save

Save recipe Print

Rate

Ingredients

Olive oil for frying
200g chestnut mushrooms, whizzed in a food processor until very fine
Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, finely sliced
200g lean British beef mince (10-15 per cent fat)
2 camembert slices (see tips)
2 burger buns, halved
Little gem lettuce leaves, American mustard, tomato ketchup and sliced gherkins to serve (optional)

You’ll also need…

Large frying pan with a snug-fitting lid

Cook Mode Sticky screen? No thanks! Tap to prevent your screen from going off while cooking.

Method

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan until shimmering, then add the mushrooms and a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce. Season well, then fry over a high heat until the mushrooms are browned. Drain on kitchen paper, then set aside to cool completely.
Meanwhile, heat another drizzle of oil in the frying pan. Fry the onion, stirring, over a medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until brown and soft, adding a splash of water now and then to prevent it burning. Set aside.
Add the beef mince to the cooled mushrooms and season. Mix, then form into 2 x 3cm thick burgers (see tips).

Heat the frying pan over a high heat, uncovered, until hot. Brush the burgers all over with oil, then add to the pan and fry for 3 minutes. Flip and fry on the other side for 1 minute, then top with the onions and cheese. Add 2 tbsp water to the pan, then cover and cook for 11/2 minutes or until the burgers are cooked and the cheese is melted (see tips). Put the burgers on a plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast the cut side of the bun halves in the pan on a medium- high heat, so they soak up the burger juices (if the pan is very wet, bubble away most of the liquid first). Put the burgers in the buns with a lettuce leaf and some mustard and ketchup. Secure with a wooden skewer, then serve with pickles on the side, if you like.

Recipe from July 2014 Issue

delicious. tips

If you want to check the flavour of the mince mixture before forming it into burgers, break off a small chunk and fry until cooked, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
You can freeze the uncooked burgers, wrapped in cling film, for 1 month. Defrost to cook.
Camembert is lower in fat than cheddar but it still delivers a strong cheesy hit.

Steam-frying burgers requires just a little oil. The steam keeps the burgers juicy and tender.